Top 25 Most Important Michigan Players in 2026: No. 17 Savion Hiter Will Make an Instant Impact

As the days continue further into July, we continue with our 'Most Important Players' series. The staff at Michigan Wolverines on SI voted for the 25 most important players for the Wolverines' success this season. We've already covered several players so far in this series, from 5-star true freshman edge rusher Carter Meadows, to offensive linemen Evan Link and Nathan Efobi, and wide receiver Salesi Moa.

Up next on the list is Savion Hiter checking in at #17 in our top 25 most important players for Michigan football in 2026. Let's dive more into Hiter below.

Savion Hiter recruiting profile

Savion Hiter hails from Mineral, VA and was ranked by Rivals as the #1 running back in the class of 2026, and #12 overall in the entire country. On his Rivals recruiting page, they compared him to Bijan Robinson who would end up being a 1st round pick to the Atlanta Falcons after he spent three seasons at Texas. That's certainly a very lofty comparison, but it shows you the type of talent that Savion Hiter has.

Why Hiter is important for Michigan's 2026 success

Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford, center, talks to running back Savion Hiter — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Because he was viewed so highly coming out of high school, he will immediately slot into Michigan as the #2 running back behind third year junior Jordan Marshall. Jordan Marshall has looked very good in his limited carries the last two seasons, but he did have some injury issues last year down the stretch. Even if Marshall can stay healthy for the full season, Savion Hiter should have a good chance to have a fairly significant workload right away.

For reference, Michigan's running back #2 in the past two seasons were Donovan Edwards in 2024 who totaled 128 carries for 589 yards and 4 TD's, and Jordan Marshall himself (who took over the starting role part way through last season because of a Justice Haynes injury) who totaled 150 carries for 932 yards and 10 TD's.

So for Savion Hiter's freshman season, my guess is we'd be looking at somewhere between the two in terms of carries and yardage for Hiter this season, assuming Marshall stays healthy.

One prediction for Hiter in 2026

After watching his film, and also looking at how he ran in Michigan's spring game, I believe Savion Hiter will be a freshman All-American and, by the end of the season, will form a strong two-headed monster in Michigan's backfield with Jordan Marshall.

Michigan should have a good offensive line in 2026, and with two great running backs, Michigan could boast the nation's best rushing attack in college football this season. Only time will tell if Hiter will truly be that good right away, but I am certainly buying the hype and Michigan fans should be too.

See our full top 25 players:

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